The present application is directed to a system that optically scans an environment, such as a building, and in particular to a portable system that generates two-dimensional floorplans of the scanned environment and facilitates editing the two-dimensional map without mapping the environment again.
The automated creation of digital two-dimensional floorplans for existing structures is desirable as it allows the size and shape of the environment to be used in many processes. For example, a floorplan may be desirable to allow construction drawings to be prepared during a renovation. Such floorplans may find other uses such as in documenting a building for a fire department or to document a crime scene, in the planning of construction or remodeling of a building, and the like.
Existing measurement systems typically use a scanning device that determines coordinates of surfaces in the environment by either emitting a light and capturing a reflection to determine a distance or by triangulation using cameras. These scanning device are mounted to a movable structure, such as a cart, and moved through the building to generate a digital representation of the building. These systems tend to be more complex and require specialized personnel to perform the scan. Further, the scanning equipment including the movable structure may be bulky, which could further delay the scanning process in time sensitive situations, such as a crime or accident scene investigation.
Further, issues sometimes arise during the scanning process that results in errors in a map. These errors may be due to a mis-registration of newly acquired data with an earlier data set. These mis-registrations may occur for example when a natural feature in the environment used by the system for registration is moved. Other errors may occur due to ambiguities in the data set.
Accordingly, while existing scanners are suitable for their intended purposes, what is needed is a system for having certain features of embodiments of the present invention.